


Like a lifeline (you keep us from falling)

by charons_boat



Category: ASTRO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Fairy, Hiking, M/M, Mountain Lions, Multi, and a fairy, and the tour guide, clumsy gay boys too they're cute tho, established relationships - Freeform, hiking fairy rocky, just dumb gays in love, rocky fights a mountain lion tho, rocky is a professional hiker, that mountain lions tag capitalized itself, uh not much more than that?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat
Summary: Four boys go on a hike, but how many will return?
Relationships: Kim Myungjun | MJ/Park Jinwoo/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Like a lifeline (you keep us from falling)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Faeradam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faeradam/gifts).



> :DD i hope you like this!!

The sun is bright, but nothing is brighter than Hoseok's smile as he shakes his two boyfriends awake. Jinwoo and Myungjun are both shorter than him by just a bit, but the brunet never misses an opportunity to tease the two about it. Jinwoo groans and rolls over, and the sun adds golden highlights to his dyed-white hair. Myungjun opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling, trying to think of the reason his oldest boyfriend has so rudely woken him from such a wonderful dream; with the rustling of a canvas bag, he recalls their plans to go on a professionally-led hike with Park Minhyuk. None of them had ever gone on a hike before, but when the three of them were in the same place, it was almost guaranteed that something near catastrophic would happen, considering all three got clumsier with the others around. They'd figured that it'd be best to go with someone who knew what they were doing, in the case that something happened (which was more likely to happen than not, so really they were being incredibly smart despite the fact that their friends wouldn't acknowledge this astonishing fact).

It is only Hoseok's enthusiasm as he gets dressed (eventually ending up looking like a boy scout who's a few feet too tall and a decade too old) that pulls Jinwoo out of bed, and subsequently Myungjun. Half an hour later with a stomach full of a delicious breakfast that Myungjun is half-sure Hoseok only made with the assistance of the internet, the three clumsy gays in love pile into their car and drive to the national park that Minhyuk had promised to lead them through. Myungjun and Hoseok spent their time in the backseat staring out the windows, saving their energy for what would surely be a tiring day. Though the two were known to be happy viruses, they both had their calm moments: Jinwoo, and the rest of their friends for that matter, liked to call these moments 'the calm before the storm', and everyone knew that they were in for a doozy when one of these happened. As Jinwoo glances at the two brunets in the back seat, he has a distinct feeling that this calm will last a long while, and that the two will actually take everything seriously today. If there were ever a situation in which Myungjun and Hoseok were completely calm and serious, it's one where there's potential for one of the others to get hurt.

The parking lot is half full when the group pulls up, and Minhyuk is already waiting on a bench in front of an educational building. The noiret has sharp, striking features and a powerful build, but there's a grace about him too. His hair is pulled back in a short ponytail that pokes out the back of his worn baseball cap (which is so old that you can no longer tell what group it was originally made to promote, and even the color doesn't help, as it's somewhere between blue and grey from fading). He's got on cargo shorts and a white tank top, and the backpack slung over his solid shoulders is, presumably, full of water, snacks, bug spray and sunscreen, and the like. Hopefully, he brought band-aids as well.

The group of four chats for a while, the three men with linked hands getting to know Minhyuk well enough that he's no longer a complete stranger before Minhyuk finally leads them across the parking lot. As they step onto a paved path, which Minhyuk assures will quickly lead off into a beaten one, their faces are full of a childish hope for everything to go perfectly.

The least they're getting out of the trip is a load of sore muscles, but they're getting much more than that as well.

* * *

  
Jinwoo and Hoseok look more handsome among the dappled light and forest backdrop, and I can't help but stare at them. I stumble a few times because of it, but one of the two is always there to catch me. In the full light, only allowed in through breaks in the canopy, the other two look so happy and radiant, and I wish I had my sketchbook so I could draw them, because they look _stunning_ like this. Minhyuk watches in amusement as I stumble a few times, clearly catching me in the act of staring at my boyfriends. Minhyuk, handsome man that he is, really isn't as busy as I expected him to be. Maybe he usually doesn't meet people beforehand like he had with us: it had been a wonderful visit to the local coffee shop, though.

Our guide doesn't do much aside from tell us which rocks to be careful of and where to step at times. In one spot, a roaring waterfall makes the path dangerously slippery, so after a quick picture, the three of us follow his instruction and make it across safely. All three of us slip near the end despite our timid steps, and Minhyuk catches all of us on the way over. His fingers are calloused, but parts of his palms are soft and dry. It's a weird contrast of texture on my arms that raises goosebumps.

"You have to be more confident," he says with barely-contained laughter in his voice. "If you walk like you're scared, the path will know and try to trip you up on purpose. Don't be scared, boys." His advice makes me blush, and we all nod sheepishly. It's a delicate balance to master, but I think I have it down about half an hour later, as my legs begin to ache and sweat dampens the very tips of my fringe. Jinwoo notices and brushes it aside with a fond smile before kissing my forehead and then pulling back with a scrunched up nose. When I laugh at him, he sticks his tongue out; Hoseok pushes him lightly in revenge, and we all laugh after a brief moment of panic when Minhyuk rushes forward with wide eyes to stop Jinwoo from falling backwards over a large rock.

Later on, after a snack and water break while we all sit down on some of the flatter rocks, Minhyuk clears his throat. All of us snap to attention, looking towards the man we'd hired to guide us through a hike. It'd been going extremely well so far, considering that all the almost accidents had been averted, so I considered his (almost nominal) fees a small price to pay. His eyes sparkle with mischief, and I can feel a wealth of excitement bubbling up my throat as he smiles.

"You guys have been doing pretty well so far, which is a _bit_ surprising if you consider the fact that you told me you three tend to be fairly clumsy. There's another path down around the corner that most people don't use very often because it's a bit of a difficult route, but I think you three would enjoy the view. Whatta ya say?" He looks as excited as I feel, and I allow a smile to break out onto my lips. Hoseok, when I look to the left, looks more apprehensive, and Jinwoo looks like he probably spaced out halfway through Minhyuk's suggestion while staring at Hoseok.

"I think it'll be cool. I can't speak for these two numbskulls, but it'll be interesting at least."

"We'll be able to turn back if it's too hard, right?" I'm glad that Hoseok had at some point decided to be a voice of reason, because Minhyuk nods and smiles reassuringly. "Okay then, I'm in. What d'you think, Jinjin?" The blanchet just smiles and nods, and Hoseok and I share a sigh at the smallest man's empty-mindedness.

"Up you go then, Jinnie." Pulling Jinwoo up to his feet is a lot more difficult than I expect it to be, but then again, he never has an trouble at all giving me piggyback rides or carrying me anywhere, so at least all the heavy muscle he's got is put to _some_ good use. Minhyuk laughs and helps me pull him up, and then we're off again. The burn in my thighs and calves has settled into a low simmer on the backburner of my mind, and I focus on keeping my footing on the suddenly-rough trail as we follow Minhyuk like a merry band of rogues on the way to a castle. If only we were whistling some tune or other…

Suddenly, Minhyuk is turning onto a much thinner path, and we go single file to follow him. The undergrowth is much thicker here, and it's clear that no one has come down this way in a while. The tree roots crawl all over the path and large rocks sit in the spaces between the roots, so it's difficult to move without the risk of tripping. My eyes flicker between Minhyuk's back, his feet, and the path we're on in an attempt to keep myself upright. I'm sure, whether I'm physically capable of moving tomorrow or not, that I won't be leaving the bed tomorrow unless it's a life-or-death situation.

The path is long and winding, but at the end, as Minhyuk had promised, there is a beautiful view. A field stretches out around the base of a small outcropping of rock, and flowers crop up here and there among the tall grass. There are more trees farther off, down past the other side of the rocky hill to the left, and to the right is a small cliff. The view that way overlooks much of the rest of the park, and everything looks so immovable and peaceful that I can't help but gasp. Hoseok takes pictures of everything while Jinwoo and I stand and stare with open mouths; Hoseok is also the one who finds _it_ first.

 _It_ is a mountain lion. He catches the big cat in a picture, and he yelps when he spots it and whips his head around, trying to find Minhyuk. Minhyuk is at his side almost immediately, and Hoseok is shocked so thoroughly that he can only point at his phone screen. Minhyuk gasps too, a quiet inhale that sounds more indignant than surprised, and he glares at the pile of rocks.

"Everyone get behind me. Hoseok found a mountain lion in his picture, and it's still up on those rocks. Whatever you do, _do not run_. I'll handle it, okay? You guys trust me?" Jinwoo and I voice a quiet 'yes' and Hoseok latches onto Minhyuk's arm as he stares at the rocks from under the bill of his hat. "Good. Hoseok, let go of my arm. Stay with Jinwoo and Myungjun, okay?" Minhyuk is gentle as he pries Hoseok's fingers away, though the red marks on his arm show that Hoseok was anything but. When the guide is free, he takes a step forward and sets his jaw, glaring up at the rocks once more.

"Don't you even think about coming down here and attacking these people," he shouts. Something slinks down the rock like liquid and lurks around the base of the rocky hill. It's eyes flash in the light, and it looks very big. "Stay over there, you hear?" The mountain lion snarls and jumps forward. It catches Minhyuk square in the chest, but he rolls to the side and takes it down with him. Before we can even blink, Minhyuk has the cougar pinned to the ground with a snarl of his own rumbling from his throat. "You little punk! Obviously the spirits in the area have been slacking in the _respect_ category. I'll have to have a chat with them, hmm?" Oddly enough, the cougar seems to understand him, and it looks almost scared at his words. When he lets it up, it scampers away; only when it's gone does he turn to us.

"What… was that?" Minhyuk flushes and scratches the nape of his neck.

"It's kind of a long story. We should go back to the main trail, but we can take a break and I'll tell you before we finish? We're nearly done with the hike."

* * *

  
"Wait, so you're telling us that--"

"There's no way you--!"

"Are you serious?! You expect us--

"--to believe--"

"-- that you're a fairy?!"

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on twt @sunwooseok_ i love comments a lot and ur like guaranteed to be my new favorite person if you leave one ksjflslgdg


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